


grant my wish and i'll be yours

by Midori__99



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Noragami Fusion, ChanSoo - Freeform, Character Death, Fantasy, Fluff, Gods, Hurt/Comfort, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Light Angst, M/M, one of the deaths is temporary so don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:28:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22341817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midori__99/pseuds/Midori__99
Summary: Prompt A-17Noragami AU! where Kyungsoo is a minor god whom everyone has forgotten about. One day, Kyungsoo receives a prayer and an offering from a human who has somehow found his decrepit shrine in the middle of an overgrown forest. Kyungsoo decides to fulfill the said human's wish.(this fic turned out waaaaaay longer than i expected it to)
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 36
Kudos: 134
Collections: Mythsoological Fic Fest





	grant my wish and i'll be yours

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE DON"T SKIP THE AUTHOR'S NOTE
> 
> hullo. so i am here, writing for mythsoological~ firstly thanks a ton to the amazing fic mods and prompter for the fest and the prompt as well as for letting me have this opportunity to write. i enjoyed a lot!  
> although i can't say i'm actually very satisfied with what i wrote i hope i have reached at least a BIT of the prompter's expectations. and i hope the readers enjoy this gargantuan excuse of a fic. 
> 
> you don't need to know the story of noragami to understand this fic so dw (i've used one scene from the anime but very minor) and anyway there are gonna be plenty of discrepancies from the og noragami universe. however, some terminologies that i think the readers should know:
> 
> 1\. Zainichi: ethnic koreans settled in Japan  
> 2\. shinki: Divine weapon of a god. they are actually human souls that have a special contract with gods to serve as their main weapons/symbols of power. Also they have both a weapon form and a human form  
> 3\. Shinsen: food offering  
> 4\. matsuri: festivals  
> 5\. Ayakashi: beings of darkness. basically monsters or phantoms that want to corrupt humans and gods alike  
> 6\. Far Shore: the realm of the dead  
> 7\. Near Shore: the realm of the living  
> 8\. Takamagahara: the realm of the gods  
> 9\. shinigami: god of death. here they are minions of Izanami (you will find out who she is)  
> 10\. gayageum: korean zither basically
> 
> so that's it! happy reading!

Rundown shrines weren’t that common in a city like Tokyo even if they were probably scattered all over the place. Or even if they were large in number, they were basically invisible to the eyes of humans. People turned more towards the popular gods for their everyday blessings; Tenjin, the god of knowledge and education, the seven gods of fortune and the list could go on and on. Kyungsoo sighed. Even if he was a registered minor god in their divine council and had a shrine of his own, he knew he was considered more of an outsider than anything else. For starters, Kyungsoo’s name itself set him apart from the rest of the gods. It was hardly a Japanese name. It didn’t even _sound_ godly. Not to mention his shrine was small, decrepit and almost falling apart. He hadn’t had any worshippers for almost a hundred years now.

Gods were said to be born out of human wishes and Kyungsoo was no different, even if he was a very young god. Back when Japan saw no high-rise skyscrapers or any form of motorized vehicles and people walked with their straw sandals on dusty roads was when Kyungsoo first took form. Ethnic Koreans who had first settled in Japan, now _Zainichi_ as they were called, had wished for a god that would protect them and their crops while they tried to settle in a foreign land. Kyungsoo had been an answer to their wishes and he quickly took on the job of protecting small farmers and their crops. Before the Second World War, Kyungsoo’s popularity as a god had grown the most but it was during the war that he began losing his worshippers. People began turning to the war gods, Hachiman and Bishamon more for blessings and Kyungsoo’s worshippers dwindled. The few loyal followers he did have went on to the next realm with the passage of time. Now it was the modern times and Kyungsoo did all he could just to exist and try to keep his shrine from crumbling as much as possible.

He was regretful. He didn’t want to just fade away. No god wanted to just fade away. It was the scariest thought for immortal beings like them who couldn’t die but most possibly could just disappear because humans didn’t worship them anymore. But nevertheless, he began preparing himself. He didn’t have much hopes about getting a worshipper after waiting for almost a hundred years anymore.

But then perhaps miracles happened with gods too. One certain beautiful summer day, Kyungsoo was aroused from where he was dozing off inside his shrine by the jangling of the bells, followed by the clatter of a five yen coin in the offering box. Astounded, he peered out just in time to see a stocky, chubby young boy lift his head from his bowed position and then clap twice. The boy was flushed red in his face, even the tips of his ridiculously big ears tinged the same shade. There were also tear streaks marring his pale round cheeks, Kyungsoo noted as he watched the boy pray.

 _“Ddori ran away. He is my pet ferret,”_ the boy’s tearful voice resonated in his mind. _“Please, kamisama, look after him! I am so worried for him!”_

This was the first heartfelt prayer he had received in _years_ and Kyungsoo found his hopes soaring. He also felt an unexpected fondness for the innocent soul of the boy and he immediately sent out his aura, trying to see if he could seek out the said animal. It was only after the boy turned and began walking away, still sniffling and wiping his face that Kyungsoo was struck with the oddity of the boy’s wish. Normally people would wish for their pets to return back home if they were lost. But the boy had only asked for its protection. No matter how he looked at it, it was a rather strange wish.

Kyungsoo found the animal after a few days of probing around and trying to sense its aura with his own. It had traces of the boy’s aura on itself and Kyungsoo could immediately tell it was the one he was looking for. The animal was alive and well, albeit a little scared and Kyungsoo sent out his blessings on it, willing for it to stay safe and live a long healthy live. After all, that was what the young boy had wished for.

The boy didn’t come back again after that and Kyungsoo sometimes wondered how he had found his derelict little shrine in the first place. It was pretty cut off from the city and situated in the hills, surrounded by a stretch of quiet, mysterious woods that no one really came to explore. But regardless, Kyungsoo was thankful that the boy had found him after all. This one single prayer of an innocent heart would allow him to exist for at least another hundred years. Determined to make his first worshipper in a while happy, Kyungsoo began keeping a diligent eye over the ferret and watched it grow and adapt to the wild. In many ways the ferret had become his sustenance and he felt alive after the longest time.

After a healthy long ten years, Ddori the ferret reached his time to pass on. He had lived a long and cheerful life like Kyungsoo had blessed him to, adapting well to the forest he had made as his new home. He apparently realized Kyungsoo’s blessing, because once the little creature had passed, his soul sought out Kyungsoo and offered to be his familiar. It was a touching gesture and Kyungsoo immediately agreed.

He was happy enough with the new familiar and also the other wild creatures that came to visit him after that. The birds, the odd wild cat or two, varieties of butterflies and so on. Thanks to Ddori, he found that he had gained worshippers again, even if they weren’t human but Kyungsoo never found it in himself to complain. However, he did find himself wondering about the boy often. Almost fifteen years passed and Kyungsoo didn’t forget about the boy. He wondered if he would ever meet him again.

Fate worked in strange patterns. It was another pleasant spring day when Kyungsoo awakened from a nap because of Ddori’s excited and loud chirping. Immediately after, he heard the sound of voices and he hurriedly sat up to see three figures walking up the steps to his shrine. A rush of excitement went through him and he wondered if those figures were worshippers. Soon a babble of voices also reached his ears. The three boys seemed to be arguing.

“Seriously, though! Will praying even affect this trek in anyway?” one of the voices was saying. It was high and bright, rather musical and the slightest bit of a nasal tone to it. “How come I didn’t even know there was a shrine here? It looks like it’s breaking apart.” 

“How would you know? You hardly even come to these parts, Baekhyun,” another voice told the first one in a teasing tone. This voice was lighter and softer than the first one and again had a musical timbre to it. Kyungsoo wondered if they were singers by any chance. “But I agree with Chanyeol though. I think it’s a good idea if we receive blessings before we begin our trek.”

“Ah, I feel like a third-wheel being the only non-pious one out of you two,” the first voice, Baekhyun, sighed dramatically. Kyungsoo peaked through the screen separating him from them, curious to put the faces to the voices. The one called Baekhyun seemed to be a relatively short guy with hair that was dyed a soft pink. The guy on his left was also short and with light brown hair that was simply styled and a mouth that curled into a rather kittenish smile. The third guy however, was way taller than the both of them and had dark hair that fell in waves on his forehead. Kyungsoo couldn’t properly make out what his face looked like. “But go on, I guess. Let’s pray, although I doubt any god would want to hear my voice.”

“You don’t need to pray if you don’t want to,” a third voice spoke just then and Kyungsoo’s eyes widened at how deep it was. Deeper than any voice he had heard. It was the tall guy speaking. “There’s no pressure. Jongdae isn’t praying either. He is Catholic.”

“Aw, Chanyeollie,” Baekhyun cooed and then fished out a five yen coin from his pocket. “I’ll do it. I’ll pray.”

“I’m sorry, Yeol. You brought us this far to the shrine,” the guy called Jongdae looked apologetic. “I prayed though, in the morning. Only difference is that it was a different God.”

“That’s totally okay. Don’t keep apologizing to me,” the guy with the deep voice, Chanyeol, laughed. Kyungsoo for some reason felt entranced by that sound. “Like I said, there is no pressure. Don’t take this so seriously.”

There was a momentary quiet from all the chatter, as two out of the three of them tossed in their five yen coins and jangled the bells. The third waited in respectful silence as the both of them clapped their hands and prayed. Kyungsoo closed his eyes, preparing himself to listen to their wishes.

“ _I pray for our protection. Actually, please tell me how to pray because gah! I don’t know how to do this! I’m not a believer like Chanyeol is! I wonder if you are even listening to me.”_ Kyungsoo couldn’t help but let the small chuckle escape his lips. Baekhyun really sounded like he was having a crisis. It was rather entertaining. _“If you are, then can you please make sure we don’t get attacked by wild cicadas or snakes while camping out? I really hate insects and reptiles.”_

It was an easy prayer and Kyungsoo felt the corner of his lips lifting up in a smile. He began gathering his powers and then got interrupted by the second prayer.

 _“Kamisama, it’s a beautiful day today, isn’t it?”_ The other boy, Chanyeol, seemed to be even more of a rambler than Baekhyun. _“I haven’t been in these parts since forever and I’m not…..sure how much has changed since the last time I was here. But….yeah, we are camping out and I ask you to take care of us. Bless us with good weather and yeah, keep insects away because I really hate creepy crawlies._ (Kyungsoo had to snort. What did these guys even have against insects?) _And….yeah, that’s all I guess.”_

Kyungsoo shook his head with a smile and was about to send out his aura for the blessing when Chanyeol began speaking again.

_“Also…..ah, it’s been years and I think he has passed already but….did Ddori live a good life?”_

Kyungsoo froze at that. A strange feeling rose up in him and he nearly rushed out of the safety of behind the screen when he heard the last prayer but was stopped at the last moment by Ddori’s alarmed chitters. But even then, Kyungsoo’s agitation caused a strong gust of wind to blow and startle the three boys.

“Whoa!” Baekhyun called out, patting down his hair. “That was….strong! Was that what they call a sudden spring storm?”

“Could be,” Jongdae said with a laugh. “We should get moving, right? If we delay anymore, we’ll get to our camping spot too late and it could be dangerous in the woods in the dark.” 

“You’re right, let’s get going,” Chanyeol agreed. Hearing his voice, Kyungsoo had this urge to rush out again. He needed to see his face. “We need to get there at least by three pm.”

As the three of them began walking down the steps of the shrine, Kyungsoo felt himself despairing. He wanted to see the boy, Chanyeol’s face. Waiting for the boys to be gone a considerable distance, Kyungsoo walked out and carefully peaked through one of the shrine’s pillars. As if on cue, Chanyeol paused on the steps and turned around. He directly faced where Kyungsoo was standing, and on instinct Kyungsoo hid himself a little bit more. He didn’t know why he was being so careful. Humans shouldn’t be able to see him anyway unless he showed himself to them.

Chanyeol was…..pretty, if Kyungsoo had to describe him with a single word. He’d lost his childhood stockiness and was lean and well-built but his cheeks were still rather chubby, making his face look youthful and soft, completely in contrast to the deep voice he had. He had black hair that fell over his forehead and wide eyes that peered out under his bangs with a never-ending curiosity visible in them. Kyungsoo wouldn’t have believed he was the same boy who’d come praying for his ferret if it wasn’t, however, for the two familiar big ears that stuck out pointedly on the sides of his face.

“Chanyeol!” Jongdae’s voice sounded just then. “What are you doing? Let’s go!”

Chanyeol frowned the slightest bit, still staring intently in the direction where Kyungsoo was hidden. Kyungsoo began wondering if he could see him after all. “Uh…yeah, I’m coming.”

So saying, Chanyeol turned away and hurried on after his friends, leaving Kyungsoo to stand staring at him.

Ddori chittered in confusion, making Kyungsoo stir. “Well, I guess we found your owner, Ddori.”

~.~

Not more than a week and a half had passed when Chanyeol came back to the shrine again. 

Kyungsoo was out in the yard of his shrine, tending to the few flowering bushes that grew around his shrine as well as conversing with the birds that sat on the tree branches and sang to him when Ddori appeared in his periphery chattering excitedly and running about in circles. Kyungsoo turned around to his familiar and then towards the torii, towards which the skittish ferret was impatiently indicating with his snout. Kyungsoo felt his heart skip a beat when he felt a familiar aura wafting up and then he dashed to his shrine to hide behind the screen. For some reason he wanted to take precautions because he felt both wary and intrigued by the boy.

Chanyeol appeared on the top step beneath the torii soon enough, hair tousled and carrying what looked like a small bamboo case. Kyungsoo looked on in curiosity and amusement as Chanyeol placed the bamboo case on the offering box and then jangled the bells. He then followed the routine of clapping his hands twice, bowing and then clapping again before offering his prayer. Kyungsoo slid his eyes shut to listen to it.

 _Good afternoon, kamisama,_ he started off politely. _My sister made some rice cakes today. Although I know it’s not really New Year’s nor are there any matsuri during this time but I thought you would like it if I brought you some Shinsen. I wonder sometimes if people even bring you food offerings nowadays. My sister’s rice cakes are really good! I want to share the good taste with you._

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but smile. When the boy had mentioned about if worshippers brought him food offerings anymore he had to admit he was hit by a twinge of sadness and loneliness. But Chanyeol’s offering filled him up with warmth and he wished he could make his gratefulness known to the boy in any way without revealing himself.

“Thank you,” he whispered more to himself than to anyone else and yet Chanyeol still lifted up his head and smiled like he had heard it. Kyungsoo wondered if there really was something special about this particular human after all.

After that particular day, Chanyeol came back a few more times with more food offerings and always wearing that bright smile that had sort of become a signature for him. Sometimes he asked for a few small wishes like protection and health for his mother’s flower garden, protection for his nephew so that he wouldn’t get bullied at school, blessings for his older sister who had another kid on the way soon and so on. All his prayers were sincere and pure, very much like his first ever prayer that had been for his pet Ddori and Kyungsoo was only too glad to fulfill them. It was after such a long time he had met such a staunch believer and also such a sweet one who brought him so much offerings. Kyungsoo wanted to do everything in his power to make this boy happy.

~.~

Things were going smoothly until a scuffle took place between some stray god and Bishamon, the god of war and victory, which somehow led to the opening of a vent to the Far Shore. Thousands and hundreds of Ayakashi, phantoms who liked to tempt and corrupt humans in order to feed off their negative energies, slipped in through the vent and into their realm. Kyungsoo was finally forced to leave his shrine in order to assist the other gods in expelling the Ayakashi as well as protecting the humans of his area from harm. He didn’t have a shinki he could use to kill the phantoms but he had a great arsenal of protective charms he could easily use to keep the hateful beings at bay until a more capable god appeared to eliminate them.

He was just done with barricading his 20th area with protective charms when he heard an Ayakashi’s loud roars of possible glee and excitement. On a closer listen, he could make out the faint cries for help from a human voice. His blood ran cold as he felt his feet taking off on their own and running towards the direction where the voice came from. When he reached the place from where he had heard the cry he spotted a decently huge Ayakashi shaped like some mutant insect and rearing its head to show its ugly maw in mid roar, and the figure of a person sprawled in front of the monster, frozen in fear and defenseless. Without thinking twice, Kyungsoo jumped into the fray and placed himself in front of the guy on the ground. He turned to face the Ayakashi that looked even more gleeful at the arrival of a minor god without a spiritual weapon, nearly lunging at the prospect of a bigger meal, and narrowed his eyes.

“Defilement,” Kyungsoo muttered, holding up two fingers and etching out a seal in the speed of light. “Stay away from the pure.”

The Ayakashi roared once more and this time lunged but an invisible force seemed to throw it back so it could merely pound on the barrier Kyungsoo had set up and snarl in fury. Ddori ran around on the ground near the barrier, spitting at the Ayakashi what sounded like insults in ferret language.

Kyungsoo sighed. The barrier would hold for at least an hour. He hoped during that time for a more capable god bearing a spiritual weapon to be able to turn up and lend a hand in assistance in wiping out the beings of darkness. In the meanwhile, he had to get the human to safety.

“Um….” A deep, suspiciously familiar voice spoke behind him just then and Kyungsoo felt the prickles running down his spine. “Who….are you?”

Kyungsoo turned around and sure enough, the guy that sat on the ground still pale and befuddled with shock and surprise was the very same smiling guy who brought him more Shinsen than even ten worshippers in a decade had. “Chanyeol-san?!”

“H…..how do you know my name?” Chanyeol looked more spooked out than before and he instinctively began moving back. “Who are you? How did you stop that monster?”

“We need to get you to safety first,” Kyungsoo began before he suddenly realized something. “Wait, so you can see me? And the Ayakashi?”

Chanyeol, if possible looked all the more panicked at all the questions and opened his mouth to speak. But just then Ddori shot forward, giving what sounded like happy chatters and jumped up on Chanyeol’s lap, who yelled and nearly slapped the animal away. But then he stilled when he saw what animal it was and at the way it was nuzzling against his arm. “A ferret?!”

“That’s your Ddori,” Kyungsoo said, keeping a keen watch on the myriad of emotions that went through the other’s face the moment he’d said that. “I looked after him like you’d asked me to. He offered to be my familiar after he passed to the next life.”

“This is Ddori?” Chanyeol’s voice was soft in wonderment. “T…then you are…..”

“I’m the god of the shrine from the mountains,” Kyungsoo said with a slight bow. “I am simply called Kyungsoo.”

Chanyeol sat in absolute stillness for a few minutes before he was suddenly scrambling to his knees like he was going to kowtow but then let out a pained wince. “My apologies, k…..kamisama.”

Kyungsoo was beside the guy in a flash, alarmed by his cry of pain. “Please, you don’t need to bow. And you have also been blighted if the mixed aura I’m feeling from you is anything to go by so please sit still,” he stilled right after he said that. There was a third aura he could feel. It belonged to a shinigami. Kyungsoo suddenly felt fear. Izanami seemed to have set her sights on the boy.

“B….blighted? You mean corrupted? Was it when the monster touched me?” Chanyeol sounded afraid. “Kamisama, what should I do now?”

“It’s nothing I can’t fix. For now, let us get you to safety. I am but a god of protection. I don’t have a shinki I could use to destroy Ayakashi and if this one gets furious enough it might break out of my barriers earlier than it should be normal,” Kyungsoo was back to the present situation just as the Ayakashi let out a series of livid howls and pounded with all its strength against the invisible walls Kyungsoo had set up. He grabbed hold of Chanyeol’s arm even as the latter gave out a squawk of surprise and hoisted him on his back without the slightest effort. “Hold tight.”

Then Kyungsoo was off, turning a deaf ear to Chanyeol’s protests and Ddori’s noisy chatters. He briefly caught sight of another god as he leapt across buildings, wearing a tattered track suit and carrying a naked blade that shone in a light colder than frost making his way towards the howling Ayakashi. The god looked like he was a stray with no shrine but his blade looked ominously capable so Kyungsoo left him a silent word of encouragement to take care of the Ayakashi on his behalf.

He turned his attention back to the person on his back. Chanyeol’s arms wrapped tight around his neck and shoulders and his eyes were closed in fear. He mumbled out small prayers every time they jumped together from a building. Kyungsoo felt flutters fill his chest.

Izanami might have been the goddess of all beginnings but she was also the goddess of death. They said she waited every day in the Underworld, waiting for any unfortunate soul to drop into her realm so that she could keep them with her forever in order to give her company in her loneliness. Kyungsoo didn’t think she was also capable of targeting a soul when it was still alive. A shinigami hanging around him would only mean Chanyeol stood on a precipice close to death.

“Chanyeol-san,” Kyungsoo said as he carefully doused Chanyeol’s blighted leg with the holy water of his shrine. “Can I ask you something?”

Chanyeol nodded while watching the purification process with rapt attention. “What is it, kamisama?”

“Just call me, Kyungsoo. I’m only a minor god,” Kyungsoo said shortly. “It’s strange to hear someone using a whole ‘kamisama’ for me.”

Chanyeol blinked. “But….you’re still a god? You deserve the same respect as any god,” he said earnestly and Kyungsoo felt his heart skip a beat. “So…..if kamisama makes you uncomfortable, can I call you Kyungsoo-sama? I feel wrong calling a god his name without sounding respectful.”

“Let’s……get back to what we were talking about previously,” Kyungsoo felt his face to be strangely warm. He didn’t think it was possible for gods to get flustered. “I wanted to ask…..how long has it been since you could see spiritual beings?”

“Uh……I’ve been able to see and hear them ever since high school,” Chanyeol said with furrowed eyebrows. “I don’t know how it started. I just….one day I saw one of those monsters lurking in our school hallway, watching me and then the next thing I knew I could see ghosts, spirits, and gods and hear the voices of the dead.”

“Normally mortals shouldn’t be able to see any spiritual beings unless we show ourselves,” Kyungsoo said. “Unless they stand on the threshold of death or somehow exist in the line between the Far Shore and the Near Shore.”

Chanyeol didn’t reply to that and merely bent down to roll down the hem of his jeans once the purification was done. Kyungsoo found that fact a little strange unless Chanyeol had something to hide. “I should get going, Kyungsoo-sama. My family will be worried,” the boy stood up and gave a low bow. “Thank you for everything.”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo called out. The traces of the shinigami tailing Chanyeol that he’d felt still made him wary. Gesturing for the other to bend down a little, Kyungsoo stretched out his arm and landed a small finger flick on his forehead. “I’ve placed a protective charm on you for now. Stay safe.”

“Oh, um,” for some reason Chanyeol looked flustered. He gave another quick bow and then scuttled off rather clumsily to walk down the stairs of the shrine.

“Ddori, follow him and come report to me if you see anything strange,” Kyungsoo instructed his familiar even as he watched the receding figure of his favorite human being. Ddori made a sound of confirmation before running off to complete his mission.

Kyungsoo stood at the same spot for some more time. He thought about all the happenings of that day and the fact that he could finally talk face to face with his favorite worshipper and felt some amount of disbelief. Fate was really strange after all.

Ddori came back to report after an hour. His panicked chatters conveyed that while Chanyeol was safe, there had indeed been a shinigami lurking around nearby.

~.~

Kyungsoo for some reason thought Chanyeol wouldn’t come back to his shrine again and so he was rather pleasantly surprised when the boy walked up the temple steps the next day, bearing what seemed like another basket of food offerings.

“Well, hello there,” Kyungsoo called out the moment the other made eye contact with him. “I thought you wouldn’t be coming here again.”

Chanyeol stopped and frowned. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m still your worshiper, aren’t I?”

“You were in danger yesterday,” Kyungsoo pointed it out like it made a point.

“And you saved my life,” Chanyeol shot back. He placed the basket in front of Kyungsoo on the offering box. “So I came to thank you.”

“You’ve thanked me already,” Kyungsoo still smiled at the basket even as he said that. “But I guess I’m happy you came to see me again”

“I’m glad,” Chanyeol’s lips spread into the bright grin that had now become a familiarity. “And….if it makes you happy then I’ll come to visit you every day.”

Kyungsoo stared. And he felt something flutter in his chest. Those words made him happy, filled him with a strange hopefulness that suddenly made him feel like the day would be good tomorrow as well. He would like it if Chanyeol visited him. “I would like that,” is what he told the other in return.

“Then I will make sure to keep my promise,” Chanyeol exclaimed happily. “Oh, by the way, I wondered if your worshippers ever brought you Korean food. I mean, I know you’re basically a Japanese deity but your name sounds Korean. So…..I know that it’s considered more of a junk food that anything else, but I still made you some jjajangmyeon.”

“I’ve…..never had jjajangmyeon before,” Kyungsoo looked mystified. “What sort of food is it?”

“Oh, are you serious? Jjajangmyeon is amazing!” Chanyeol laid emphasis at the last word and immediately plopped down on the floor of the shrine like he was going to relay a story. “Then allow me to tell you how it is prepared! Goodness, I should make you eat samgyeopsal and tteokbokki too one of these days!”

And the day passed as Chanyeol chattered on and on and talked out the whole recipe of jjajangmyeon and then continued to talk about more of his favorite food from Korea. Kyungsoo sat next to him on the shrine step, listening intently and feeling fondness bloom in him at how much the guy talked.

“I’m still surprised that none of your worshippers ever brought you Korean food!” Chanyeol exclaimed at one point.

 _You’re the first worshipper I’ve had in a hundred years_ , Kyungsoo thought but couldn’t well say. He chose to only smile and listen to more of the stories that his favorite worshiper had to tell.

~.~

Chanyeol stayed true to his promise and came to visit the shrine every day. And with each new day he brought newer stories to tell. Through Chanyeol’s stories Kyungsoo learned of a great many things he’d initially not bothered to update himself on. He learned about how much easier it was to travel between countries now than it used to be before and that it was one of Chanyeol’s wishes to travel around the world and learn of as many new places as possible. He learned a great deal about cooking and music, two things that seemed to be a passion of Chanyeol’s. If it hadn’t been for Chanyeol’s vast knowledge and Kyungsoo’s own curiosity, Kyungsoo wouldn’t have known there were so many food dishes existent in the world. It made the god want to take up cooking as a hobby of his own. He found himself looking forward every day to Chanyeol’s stories.

Chanyeol’s unbridled enthusiasm about talking and spending time with Kyungsoo wasn’t the only thing that didn’t wane in the slightest. While there was no significant increase in it, the shinigami aura that hung around the boy didn’t fade away either. It stubbornly stayed where it was, silent and almost undetectable if it wasn’t for Kyungsoo’s well-honed spiritual senses. It made him uneasy and protective.

Part of why Kyungsoo encouraged Chanyeol’s everyday visits to his shrine was because it gave him greater chances to make sure the guy was protected. No matter how powerful any other god was, they wouldn’t be able to harm Chanyeol if he was inside the boundaries of Kyungsoo’s shrine. It was as much of a taboo to encroach the sacred space of a god by another god as was interfering with the Fate of a human. Also with every visit, Kyungsoo made sure to leave a spell of protection over Chanyeol. He wanted to try and wash out the shinigami’s traces with his own aura. It was hard work, considering Izanami was more powerful than Kyungsoo could ever hope to be and that the stench of the dead was far greater than the scent of the living. Yet Kyungsoo didn’t give up. For while Izanami being the goddess of all beginnings beheld terrible and great powers, her domain resided only over the Netherworlds. The Earth was still Kyungsoo’s to share with other gods. He wouldn’t let the goddess of death snatch what didn’t belong to her.

Even so, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but be baffled over how she had managed to set even a bit of her claws on a living soul. It should’ve been impossible even for a being as powerful as her. Kyungsoo sensed a heavy amount of foul play at hand. He endeavored to protect Chanyeol no matter what.

~.~

“Kyungsoo-sama,” Chanyeol greeted Kyungsoo that day with his signature bright smile. The only difference was that he carried with himself a big baggage on his back this time. “I was wondering. Have your worshippers ever played you music to appease you?”

Kyungsoo eyed the baggage the boy carried suspiciously. It was quite significantly big and wrapped in a black casing. The bottom part of it was bulbous and shaped sort of like a wine-gourd mischief-making tanuki carried except that it was flatter and had a long handle sticking from its top. “Not since the _Meiji_ Era. And what is this that you’re carrying? Is it some sort of a club?”

“It’s a guitar,” Chanyeol answered even as he sat down on the shrine’s step and unstrapped the thing from his back. “A type of a musical instrument. I was planning to sing you some songs today.”

“Ah!” Kyungsoo said in understanding as he watched Chanyeol unzip the casing and show him the wooden musical instrument inside it. It had a hollow wooden body with a circular hole and six strings stretched taut from one end to the other. “So it is like the shamisen except that it is bigger, with more strings and strangely shaped.”

“Well, you could put it like that. It makes use of the same mechanisms as the shamisen anyway,” Chanyeol laughed and picked up the guitar to balance it on his thigh. “Although, how it is played is slightly different. So, Kyungsoo-sama, what would you like me to play for you?”

“Anything that you would deem to fit me,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “I’m pretty sure that when it comes to music, you are more knowledgeable than me anyway.”

“Ah, Kyungsoo-sama, I think you’re just underplaying yourself,” Chanyeol said in a slightly miffed voice. “What you know and what I know are different but that doesn’t mean you know any less than what I do!”

“You overestimate me, Chanyeol-san,” Kyungsoo laughed softly. “I am not Tenjin and I don’t have a great arsenal of knowledge because I never bothered myself to learn. Why, I’ve come to know of far more things from you these past few days than I had ever learned in all the years I’ve been alive as a god.”

“Hmph, fine! But I still think that you underplay yourself because I think you’re really great,” Chanyeol said decisively, unaware that Kyungsoo’s treacherous heart had given another skip and that the god was beginning to look flustered. “Well, I guess I will sing what I can.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes slid shut as soon as Chanyeol began strumming on his guitar and hummed a tune under his breath. The moment Chanyeol began singing the words of the song, Kyungsoo felt the warmth of his voice wrap around himself like a comforting blanket. The words of the song were achingly sad and in a way sounded like a cry for help and yet as Kyungsoo listened to it, it gave him nothing but comfort even though his very being twisted and hurt with the sadness that coated the words and Chanyeol’s soothing voice.

“It was beautiful,” Kyungsoo commented once Chanyeol had finished singing. “You sing beautifully. Thank you for sharing this song with me.”

“I am only so glad to sing for you, Kyungsoo-sama. Although, you must pardon me, it was hardly an appropriate song to sing,” Chanyeol sounded a little bashful as he spoke. “It sounds so depressing. I wrote that song when I was going through a hard time. I should’ve sang a nicer, happier song for you but….uh that was the only song I could think of at that moment. I’m…..sorry.”

Kyungsoo felt pained as he heard that. The song had been hauntingly sad. And Chanyeol was such a happy and positive young soul, Kyungsoo wondered just how much the boy had to have suffered to write such a song. “Then I’m gladder still that you shared it with me. It’s a beautiful song, Chanyeol-san.”

Chanyeol turned his gaze down, a soft blush dusting his face, no doubt because of Kyungsoo’s praises regarding his music. Kyungsoo smiled, feeling strangely endeared by it. “Would you like to sing some more for me, Chanyeol-san?”

“I’d be glad to,” Chanyeol immediately answered with his bright grin and strummed his guitar once more. Kyungsoo shut his eyes and let his mind drift free of worries as he drowned himself once more in his favorite worshipper’s warm voice. His heart felt so full and he never wanted this feeling to end.

~.~

Maybe even the sunniest of humans with the brightest of smiles weren’t always made of complete happiness too. While Kyungsoo had gotten a glimpse of it through the sad song Chanyeol had shared with him the other day, he didn’t know the depth to which the sorrow ran. But Kyungsoo didn’t have to wait for too long to be provided with an opportunity to witness the darker side to his happy worshipper.

The clock had ticked and the sky had changed colours along with the sun that dipped and Chanyeol failed to arrive at the shrine for the first time. It made Kyungsoo wonder and also worry because so many days had passed and Chanyeol hadn’t missed a single visit. Nevertheless he told himself not to overthink or worry too much. Perhaps the boy was held back because he was busy with work or had other priorities that day. He had a life outside of being Kyungsoo’s worshipper after all. And so, Kyungsoo tried to keep his disquiet at bay and tended to the plants and trees around his shrine all day while conversing with the animals that came to visit him.

It was well into the evening when it was already dark and Kyungsoo was preparing to turn into his shrine for the day seeing he had no more duties to fulfill, Ddori ran up to him and notified him about a visitor. Curious yet expectant about who it was, Kyungsoo left the dingy little structure that was his shrine and went out to see.

It was Chanyeol as expected. Yet something seemed wrong. Chanyeol smiled the minute he saw the deity, but his smile never reached his eyes.

“Chanyeol-san,” Kyungsoo called out, worry filling him again. “Is something the matter? It’s dangerous to be out so late in such a desolate place like this mountain when you’ve already been targeted by Ayakashi before.”

“I know that,” Chanyeol answered softly. “But I also know that I will be safe as long as I’m in your area. I feel better being here than anywhere else anyway.”

“Are you alright?” Kyungsoo asked. “How can I help you, please tell me.”

The minute he said that Chanyeol’s smile faded and all that was left was a countenance broken with sadness. He sat down heavily on the step of the shrine and Kyungsoo promptly sat down next to him. “You’re a god. You have powers. Is it possible for you to change Fate and bring a dead one alive?”

“No,” Kyungsoo answered simply. “No matter how powerful a god is, we have no right to control a human’s fate. Because Fate is above even gods. Every individual’s beginning and end is written before they are born. We only have the power to make the individual’s living days better as much as Fate allows it.”

“That sort of sounds shitty,” Chanyeol let out a heavy sigh. “Although I’m not very surprised either.”

“Are you alright?” was what Kyungsoo repeated instead.

“I saw a cat getting run over today,” Chanyeol said. His face was solemn and his eyes held anguish. “I have…..never been good at taking death.”

“Oh, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said softly as he watched the other’s lower lip quiver because he was trying to hold back his tears. “I’m sorry you had to see such a thing.”

“I’m sorry for bothering you for such a trivial matter,” Chanyeol gave a shaky laugh that turned into a sob halfway. “I…I’m sorry that I’m always so weak.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Kyungsoo answered instead. “You should never hide your unhappiness. Asking for help is not shameful. And also, you shouldn’t worry about bothering me because nothing makes me happier than having you visit my rundown shrine. I only wish to make you happy too.”

Chanyeol broke down completely at that and let out some of the most heart-wrenching sobs Kyungsoo had ever heard. Even the crickets around the shrine seemed to fall silent as they listened to the child of happiness cry his heart out. Ddori’s chitters were helpless and upset as he pawed at the thigh of his previous owner, wanting to comfort him somehow.

“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol kept saying. “I’m sorry.”

All Kyungsoo could offer as comfort was an arm around his shoulders. He wanted to ease the pain in Chanyeol’s heart but it wasn’t possible for him to know what troubled the other if he didn’t share, be it directly or in his prayers. But even so, just an arm seemed to ease a slight bit of the tension in his shoulders. “Do not apologize.”

“Help me, kamisama,” Chanyeol sobbed out and Kyungsoo heard his prayer.

He held Chanyeol tenderly and let him rest his head on his own shoulder. Chanyeol seemed to curl up into himself even more as he cried against the added support and Kyungsoo shut his eyes. He took in a breath and began singing.

The melancholy air was soothed with the rich voice of Kyungsoo’s as he sang for a soul in pain. The wind seemed to hold its breath to listen to a divine voice it hadn’t heard in several years. Kyungsoo sang until the birds that had slept peeked from the trees and rabbits and other small animals came out of their homes to sit at their god’s feet. Kyungsoo sang until Chanyeol’s sobs lessened and his choppy breathing eased. Kyungsoo didn’t stop singing until he felt all of the pain bleed out of the boy. At least for the night he wanted his favorite human to sleep without worry. He wanted nothing but to bring happiness to Chanyeol.

Before going back home Chanyeol turned to Kyungsoo for one last time to give a genuine smile and said he liked it when the other called him as just “Chanyeol” without adding any honorifics. Kyungsoo merely smiled back as he felt his heart flutter for what felt like the umpteenth time.

~.~

Things looked up and after one night’s bout of sorrow, Chanyeol seemed to be back in his high spirits. He visited Kyungsoo every day as usual and talked to him more like a friend than a worshipper with his deity. Kyungsoo was more than happy to welcome him with a smile every day.

But then it seemed like Chanyeol wouldn’t be the only special visitor Kyungsoo would have.

It was a particularly sunny and pleasant day and Kyungsoo felt twice as happier than usual after Chanyeol’s visit. The guy had brought his guitar again and led a cheerful jam session of happy songs. He taught Kyungsoo the words to a few of them and encouraged him to sing along. Together they sang in harmony and Ddori danced around them all the while making noises of pure delight.

At around midafternoon, after Chanyeol was long gone and Kyungsoo walked around pruning the bushes, carefree and happy, a decently powerful spiritual being made himself known in the little shrine. Kyungsoo sensed before he saw and when he turned around there was an unfamiliar person standing under the torii.

“Ah, pardon me for stepping uninvited here, Kyungsoo-sama,” the man bowed respectfully. He was dressed in a smart black suit and purple tie. He had brown hair and frequently adjusted the pair of black framed glasses on his nose. “I just wanted to ask you something.”

Kyungsoo turned to face him completely. “You are…..Bishamon’s shinki if I am not wrong?”

“Yes. I am called Kazuma,” the man bowed once more with the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. “I am honored that you have heard of me.”

“You are one of the most infamous shinki out there and you serve one of the gods of Fortune so of course,” Kyungsoo nodded back in acknowledgement. “And so, what can I help you with?”

“I was looking for a certain god. He irritatingly disappears at times,” the sigh Kazuma gave out sounded vexed. “He is a stray so it’s rather difficult to find him when he decides he wants to stay out of notice. And also V….I mean Bishamon-sama doesn’t think too kindly of him so I had to come without her.”

“Would it be the same stray god that Bishamon had a fallout with several days back and resulted in the opening of the vent?”

“Technically…..the vent was opened by Kofuku-sama but yes, it’s the same god,” Kazuma looked a little regretful. “I’m sorry the fight and the resultant Ayakashi had caused you inconvenience as well.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kyungsoo said easily. “As for the stray god, I haven’t really left my shrine that often so I haven’t seen him. I’m sorry for not being much help.”

“Ah, nevertheless thank you, Kyungsoo-sama,” Kazuma bowed once again and turned to go. But then he paused and turned around like another thought had suddenly hit him. “Oh, by the way, it has been going around in the Council of the gods that you’ve begun getting worshippers again. I congratulate you on that.”

“So I have,” Kyungsoo bowed his thanks. “Much of my worshippers aren’t actually humans but I do have one person who seems to be very loyal to me.”

“Would that be Park Chanyeol?” Kazuma held a knowing look and Kyungsoo felt stunned. He wouldn’t have thought the shinki would even know the name of his worshipper. Kazuma’s reputation of resourcefulness and silent cunning lived up to its name. “You don’t need to be so surprised, Kyungsoo-sama. He is a well-known Zainichi in these parts amongst us spiritual folk because he is one of the sole humans currently who can perfectly see us. His ability is considered to be somewhat of a mystery.”

“I’m just surprised at how much you seem to know, Kazuma,” Kyungsoo said warily. “Why are you keeping tabs on my follower? Is it Bishamon’s orders? Does she want something from me?”

“Rest assured, Kyungsoo-sama. I am acting independently here,” Kazuma reassured. “And I am not an enemy. I want to leave a word of warning out of goodwill.”

“Out of goodwill you say,” Kyungsoo’s apprehension grew. Ddori sensed his master’s unease and growled at the shinki. “And how can I trust that you have no ulterior motives?”

“I was once human too and I would never want to wish ill on a fellow human,” Kazuma smiled sadly and Kyungsoo saw the sincerity in his eyes. “There has been word going around some of the unkinder gods, Kyungsoo-sama, that what Park Chanyeol holds for you may be more than just the normal sort of respect a worshipper holds for his deity.”

Kyungsoo tightened his fists until his knuckles turned white. “What do you mean? What is it that you want?”

“All I want is to prevent Chanyeol-san from making the same mistake I made,” Kazuma said. “The only reason I can stay safe is because I am a shinki and I have offered up my entire life and loyalty in service to Bishamon-sama. It is my way of atoning for crossing a line I should never have. But Chanyeol-san isn’t a shinki and you can do only so much to protect him if the whole Council decides to suddenly go against you or him. And that’s why I’m telling you all of this so that you can prevent it while there is still a chance.”

Kyungsoo had a good idea of what Kazuma was talking about. And it filled him with dismay. For some reason, even when he knew the answer, he still found himself asking. “What was the mistake that a blessed vessel such as yourself made, Kazuma?”

“It’s a mistake that I still continue to make,” Kazuma still wore the small sad smile. “I fell in love with a god. I fell in love with Bishamon-sama. And in love with her I still remain but yet I can never let her know.”

Love was supposed to be something pleasant and warm. Love was supposed to bring tidings of happiness. But hearing Kazuma’s words, never had Kyungsoo felt a fear so cold.

~.~

It was a well-known fact amongst the divine beings of Takamagahara that romantic relationship between a god and a human was heavily frowned upon and almost seen to be as a sort of taboo. Humans were fickle beings and their love was often followed with desires of the flesh. Such worldly and carnal desires were considered impure towards divine beings of purity and hence the gods never took kindly to a human in love, especially if it was with a divine being.

Maybe it was just because he was a younger god than the others or perhaps he had never been born to be so self-serving and narrow-minded, Kyungsoo didn’t find himself being bothered about the fact that Chanyeol was probably in love with him. In fact, the thought made him strangely happy and thrilled. But even so, Kyungsoo knew there was truth to Kazuma’s warnings. If the greater gods in Takamagahara ever found out then they would do whatever needed be to either distort Chanyeol’s feelings and memories or get rid of his existence entirely. The older gods were all conservative that way.

He didn’t know if it was because of his own fear or because of Kazuma’s previous warnings but the next day felt especially ominous to Kyungsoo. The skies were overcast and Kyungsoo had a feeling that the night would see more Ayakashi than usual in activity. He half hoped Chanyeol wouldn’t come to visit him.

But of course, Chanyeol was diligent and regular. He visited Kyungsoo as usual and Kyungsoo didn’t have the heart to turn him away. The good thing, however, was that Chanyeol was also insightful. He sensed Kyungsoo’s somber mood as well as the bad energy in the air.

“It doesn’t seem to be a very good day today,” Chanyeol stated awkwardly when Kyungsoo’s greeting had been graver than usual. “Maybe, I should go back.”

Kyungsoo shook his head. “I’d rather you stay in my shrine today. I’m not having a good feeling. I’ve heard reports that Ayakashi have been attacking even during the daytime and that is especially unusual so the situation is worse than expected. I would like to keep you under my watch today if you don’t mind.”

“But…..it would be so disrespectful of me to stay in your shrine,” Chanyeol protested. “I’ll be fine, Kyungsoo-sama. So many days have passed already and I have not been attacked even once in all these days.”

Kyungsoo pursed up his lips. “Alright then, I will walk you home.”

“You need not do that!” Chanyeol said. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry!”

“Don’t be a fool, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo scolded severely. “It’s already afternoon. Twilight is the time Ayakashi are the strongest. When evil activity is already so high today, it will be much worse once twilight comes. I will not have you returning home alone in such a situation.”

Chanyeol lowered his head after that, resigned. He couldn’t argue with the sound reasoning Kyungsoo presented after all. “If you say so then.”

After leaving Ddori to watch over the shrine, the two of them set off down the stairs and the stone path to reach the bottom of the mountain the shrine was set on. There was a noticeable nervous tension and Chanyeol tried to lighten it by chattering about his nephew and about how hectic work was in the restaurant that his family owned. Usually Kyungsoo always paid the utmost attention whenever Chanyeol talked but this time he hardly heard what the other boy said. Much of his attention was on trying to keep a lookout for both Ayakashi as well as shinigami.

They walked for a decent length of time and Kyungsoo realized the fact that Chanyeol’s house was really rather far from his shrine. It both baffled as well as touched him that Chanyeol was willing to walk such a distance every day just to visit him. Kazuma’s words came back to him and he internally sighed. If only he wasn’t a god. He would easily and without question court Chanyeol back then.

“Kyungsoo-sama,” Chanyeol called out just then, distracting Kyungsoo from his thoughts. “We’ve reached our neighbourhood already. I can go on my own from here. My house is the tenth one so it’s not even too far.”

Kyungsoo turned to look at the earnest boy, wanting to insist on walking him till his door and just opened his mouth to speak when in the fast setting gloom something moving in the shadows caught his eye. His battle senses immediately whirring to life, Kyungsoo roughly pulled Chanyeol behind himself and shot out his right leg in the most powerful side kick he could manage. His foot successfully connected with an Ayakashi’s face and the evil being was sent flying into the nearest wall.

“You’ve got some nerve,” Kyungsoo growled out in fury. “Trying to attack my worshipper when I’m around.”

The Ayakashi snarled and jumped forward to attack once again. For perhaps the millionth time, Kyungsoo cursed his lack of a shinki. Nevertheless, he assumed his fighting stance. “Chanyeol, stay behind me.”

Just as the Ayakashi neared him, Kyungsoo shot forward the flat of his palm and slapped on a talisman he seemed to conjure out of thin air. It shone in a harsh white light the moment it made contact with the flesh of negativity.

“Be gone,” Kyungsoo spat out and suddenly letting out a cry of pain, the Ayakashi got pulled back by an invisible force and got thrown back for the second time. Taking the chance, Kyungsoo grabbed hold of Chanyeol’s hand and took off in a direction opposite to the Ayakashi. “I don’t have a shinki so I can’t kill the Ayakashi. We need to get away when we have the chance!”

“What…..Kyungsoo-sama!” Chanyeol could only gasp even as he was whisked away.

It was when the both of them were running Kyungsoo happened to turn his gaze to the side and he caught sight of another dark figure, one that filled him with more dread than a thousand Ayakashi would. For while it was a being of darkness, it was also a minion of a powerful deity that Kyungsoo could never hope to hurt. It was after nearly a month that Kyungsoo finally saw the shinigami.

“Kyungsoo-sama,” Chanyeol wheezed out and tapped the other’s arm. “Kyungsoo-sama, stop! We passed by my house!”

Kyungsoo heard and stopped his running. Rather than immediately letting go of Chanyeol’s arm, he looked around cautiously. There didn’t seem to be any Ayakashi around and nor was the shinigami anywhere in sight. He could finally relax a little but not fully. “How far have we come?”

“Not much. We only passed two houses too far,” Chanyeol reassured. He looked a little pale and a lot more strained but still slapped on a smile. “I can go this much on my own.”

Kyungsoo turned to face him and gave such a severe look that Chanyeol took a step back in surprise. “You’re going on with that nonsense again,” he said. “I’ve come with you this far, I will go back only after I have dropped you till your doorstep.”

“But,” Chanyeol began and then stopped. He sighed in defeat. “Well….alright then.”

It was only a thirty second walk back yet Kyungsoo kept up a sharp vigil. Chanyeol wouldn’t be completely safe even after he entered his home because often Ayakashi managed to sneak into people’s living spaces if they found the slightest bit of negative energy to feed on. He couldn’t rest until he made sure every bit of the area was secure.

“We’ve reached,” Chanyeol’s voice brought Kyungsoo back to the present. They both stopped and turned to face each other. Chanyeol smiled and bowed in respect. “Thank you….for everything today.”

Kyungsoo merely nodded, head still occupied with thoughts. As he stared at Chanyeol for some time, something clicked in his mind and he made a sudden decision. “Bend down.”

Chanyeol raised his eyebrows but nevertheless complied with the order. He probably expected another forehead flick so he didn’t seem so surprised.

Except Kyungsoo wasn’t going to be satisfied with merely a protective charm this time. He’d thought he could remove the shinigami’s traces by using only that but it was taking way too long. Placing a tender hand on Chanyeol’s right cheek, Kyungsoo reached up slightly because he was the shorter one and pressed his lips on the other’s forehead. Ignoring the electric shock that passed through his own self, Kyungsoo poured his spiritual energy through the kiss.

Chanyeol suddenly pulled away when he realized what had just passed. He stared at Kyungsoo, eyes blown wide and cheeks the brightest shade of red. “W…what just…”

“It’s a bit of my essence,” Kyungsoo murmured. For some reason he couldn’t stop staring at Chanyeol. “No evil being should dare to attack you when you have my mark on you.”

“I…..um,” Chanyeol stuttered. “Please, excuse me. And….thank you once again.” And then he bolted inside the house.

Kyungsoo watched and thought back to the shinigami he had seen. While back then he had felt dread, what he felt now was the strongest surge of protectiveness and a hint of possessiveness. He wondered why he hadn’t thought about leaving his essence before and then again surmised the thought hadn’t crossed his mind because gods didn’t do that nowadays. In any case, he wasn’t going to let anyone get Chanyeol so easily. If Izanami was desperate enough to mark humans, then he could do the same to protect who was precious to him too.

~.~

Kyungsoo’s next visitors were both a surprise as well as not. He was aware that word got around gods, especially the ones who frequented the Near Shore instead of Takamagahara, really fast so he had been expecting Kazuma to drop by into his shrine any day. What he hadn’t expected, however, was Bishamon to follow her shinki along.

“Bishamon-san,” Kyungsoo exclaimed the moment he saw the regal golden haired god of war and victory stand under his torii and lowered his head in respect. “To what do I owe the honor of having you visit my humble domain?”

“Skip the formalities, Kyungsoo. A god shouldn’t lower his head to another god in his own house,” Bishamon said simply. Her face was stern as always but she held no hostility towards him. Instead she seemed the sort of vexed an older sister would be with her naïve younger siblings. “From what I’ve heard out of Kazuma, you seemed to have gotten yourself into quite a fix.”

“My apologies,” Kyungsoo let out an embarrassed laugh. “But, if I may be allowed to say, this is way more than just having a human being too dedicated to me. I was the one who never refused Park Chanyeol from spending too much time with me because I couldn’t.”

Bishamon frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I am not sure if other gods have sensed it but Park Chanyeol has been continuously tailed by a shinigami for several days, maybe even years now,” Kyungsoo said gravely. “The aura is very faint. Even I wouldn’t have sensed it had I not spent so much time with him. And I have reasons to believe that the shinigami tails him because Izanami wishes to make Park Chanyeol’s soul her own.”

“So, you mean to say Izanami is marking him?” Bishamon said sharply. “But that should be impossible! Izanami stays banished in the Underworld. How can she mark a living soul?”

“That I have been unable to understand myself,” now it was Kyungsoo’s turn to frown. “But whatever it may be, Chanyeol isn’t safe. Moreover, he is my devotee. You have to understand, Bishamon-san that I can’t leave him alone. And I would do anything necessary to protect him.”

“I can understand how you feel,” Bishamon said. Her eyes seemed to visibly soften. “Do what you think is right, Kyungsoo. And let me assure you that you have me as an ally. So, if the council tries to go against you in any way then I will be there to object. I will make sure to get some more of the gods I trust to be in your support.”

Kyungsoo blinked, greatly surprised and touched. Standing beside Bishamon, Kazuma smiled warmly at him. “I’m humbled and heavily grateful, Bishamon-san. But…..why are you doing this?”

“I have met Chanyeol too, Kyungsoo,” Bishamon gave a rare warm smile. “A long time ago before he completely devoted himself to you, he came to my shrine to pray for his nephew’s victory in a school track event. In all my years of being alive as a god and amongst the hundreds of people who come to worship me, I have never met a soul so pure and who shines so bright. He deserves to be protected. Fate brought you the biggest blessing when it brought Chanyeol to you.”

Kyungsoo stood silent as he took in Bishamon’s words. He barely even registered as the god of war gave a short bow of farewell and stalked out from under the torii with Kazuma loyally following her. The words they had just exchanged ran around in circles in his head.

“Fate,” Kyungsoo muttered. “Fate connects Chanyeol to me. Chanyeol’s Fate…..”

Something whirred and clicked in his mind and suddenly things began making sense in a shock of a realization. Gods were forbidden from changing a human’s Fate and hence as per unwritten but existent rules, they were kept in the dark about every human’s Fate. Gods didn’t know when a particular human would be born and when he or she would die. But while it was rare and often unlikely, it wasn’t impossible for a god to find out the time of a human’s birth and death. And just knowing those two alone would give a god enough power to act accordingly in order to benefit from it. After all, not all gods were benevolent beings of light and purity.

When it came to Izanami, what she craved most was living company. After being trapped in the Underworld by her own beloved husband, Izanami had to live stricken by loneliness with only the senseless damned souls as her companions. She would give anything to own a being who was intelligent and could hold conversations with her. But of course, the limitations on her powers made it so that she could have no effect on the living. However, what if she was to somehow learn of the time of death of a human? She would then be able to snatch a soul that wasn’t damned, a soul that still held intelligence and its own will. She would be able to snatch it before another god could save it.

“She knows,” Kyungsoo gave a faint gasp. “Izanami knows when Chanyeol is going to die!”

~.~

Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for Kyungsoo’s next meet up with Chanyeol so that he could warn the boy of the dangers that followed him. Admittedly, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel a little awkward and hesitant about the fact that he had to actually tell Chanyeol that he was going to die, and possibly pretty soon if the shinigami hung around him nearly every day. But he had also thought up a solution – one that was probably going to earn the wrath of all the conservative gods in the council, but Kyungsoo was willing to walk through fire if it was for Chanyeol.

However, before Kyungsoo could begin with his own warnings and suggestions, Chanyeol appeared nervously before him first and then unexpectedly dropped to his knees. Kyungsoo was taken aback by the gesture.

“I know…..you must be surprised with the way I am acting today but I have some confessions to make,” Chanyeol said solemnly and with his head bowed down. “I have not been entirely truthful to you.”

Kyungsoo resisted the urge to pull the other back to his feet. “About what?”

“About my ability,” Chanyeol said and finally raised his head to look directly at him. “I lied when I said I didn’t know how I suddenly gained the ability to see spiritual creatures and gods. It wasn’t because I saw an Ayakashi in my school halls. I gained this ability when I ran into a man once, a really pale-skinned man dressed in all black, when I was returning from tuitions and he grabbed my arm once as we passed. After the contact…..I could suddenly see things I didn’t before.”

 _The shinigami_ , Kyungsoo thought grimly and then nodded his head. “I figured as much. You seem like you want to continue.”

“Yes,” at that Chanyeol visibly hesitated. He swallowed once and plowed on. “I….have committed a sin. I’ve been able to see gods and shinki for quite some time now and I know the basic things of your world and its rules and whatnots. Yet…..I…I still went and….” He stopped and took a shuddering breath, looking down once again. “I’m sorry Kyungsoo-sama but….I am in love with you.”

The wind rustled the leaves, Ddori ran about in the small yard and yet Kyungsoo stood strangely silent. While he already knew of Chanyeol’s feelings, it still felt rather strange and slightly overwhelming hearing it directly from the boy’s mouth. He was at a loss for some time about how to say what.

Chanyeol probably misunderstood Kyungsoo’s silence as disapproval because he lowered his head even more until he was nearly groveling. “I’m really sorry, Kyungsoo-sama. I am willing to accept any punishment that you want to give me.”

Kyungsoo sighed. “Chanyeol, get up. And come inside my shrine,” he said simply. “Ddori, please keep a lookout.”

So saying, Kyungsoo began walking towards his ramshackle little shrine with Chanyeol immediately scrambling up to his feet and following him, probably still expecting punishment. On entering the dimmed interior with a slightly musky scent of wood and incense in the air, Kyungsoo motioned for the other to kneel in front of him as he did the same.

“I’m not going to punish you,” Kyungsoo deadpanned and would’ve snorted at the fact that Chanyeol looked so taken aback if the topic at hand wasn’t so serious. “There are some important things I need to tell you too so I brought you here.”

Chanyeol looked wary. “What important things?”

“That man who grabbed you when you were in high school wasn’t a man but a shinigami,” Kyungsoo began. “Your ‘abilities’ are actually the side effects of him marking you. You are a target of the goddess of the Underworld. I’m sure you are familiar with the lore of Izanami-no-mikoto, no?”

“The goddess of beginnings who was trapped in the Underworld and not allowed to return after she’d supposedly died by her own husband, Izanagi,” Chanyeol said tersely. “And now she waits every day in the Underworld for company, for living souls who can respond to her, unlike the ghouls and Ayakashi that permeate that place. _That_ Izanami is targeting me?!”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yes.”

Chanyeol seemed to be stunned. “But _how_?”

 _This_ was the hard part. “Chanyeol, do you remember me telling you gods messing with a human’s Fate is taboo? Well, we aren’t actually allowed to know a human’s Fate either,” Kyungsoo went on. “Some gods, in your case that’s Izanami, if they find out a human’s Fate they want to manipulate it in order to use a human for their benefit. That’s why it has been made a taboo, but some gods aren’t scared of breaking taboos.”

Chanyeol was silent. The understanding was finally dawning on him as everything started falling into place. “So…..you mean to say, Izanami somehow found out my Fate?”

“Probably not the whole Fate, but most probably only your time of death. So that when you die, she can straightaway snatch your soul. That’s why she broke taboos and had a shinigami keep marking you,” Kyungsoo ended his explanation gravely. “Izanami wants your soul.”

“Wow, okay,” Chanyeol let out a deep breath. “So….I’m not only going to die but an evil goddess is also hunting down my soul? Wow…..”

“I have come up with a solution. While it was a practice that was followed pretty frequently in the olden days, gods now disapprove of it,” Kyungsoo began. “But I’m willing to do it for you. Of course, only if you’re willing to as well.”

Chanyeol had a slightly glum expression but leaned forward to pay attention nevertheless. “What is it?”

“You know how shinki are formed right? They are actually souls of humans who passed away before their time and are left behind unable to pass on or rebirth into the next life. Gods search them out and form contracts with them so that they are given a chance to fulfill another purpose as a god’s divine weapon and help in eradicating evil. It is also in a way, a method by the gods to make sure they don’t get corrupted by evil forces and result in more growth of Ayakashi,’ Kyungsoo took a deep breath before continuing. “But you have to be dead to be a shinki and we can’t wait for you to die to remove the shinigami’s mark from you.”

“I never thought we would be talking about my death like it’s an everyday conversation,” Chanyeol sighed.

“There is another form of contract that can be made with gods,” Kyungsoo went on. “And it is with living humans. In this contract, the human gives their soul to be under the ownership of the god. In the past, warriors and others did this with gods and demons too in order to gain power. But the downside is, your soul will be bound to me so that even when you die a good death, your soul would have to stay with me. You cannot pass on, you can only serve me.”

Chanyeol’s eyes were wide, but the emotions held in them were strangely unreadable. “And that’s it?”

“It’s a huge thing, Chanyeol. And it’s not something I _want_ to do because binding a soul and not letting it pass on is just cruel,” Kyungsoo’s voice was heavily grave once again. “But if Izanami got you, then it would be the same as being bound to a god. And I loathe to give you up to someone who broke taboos to gain you. I’d rather keep you forever with me than let anyone else bind you to them.”

The tone of possessiveness wasn’t subtle and it caused Chanyeol to blush and look away. But he looked like he had made up his mind. “I’ll do it.”

Kyungsoo would be lying if he said he wasn’t slightly surprised at how fast Chanyeol had made that decision. “Are you absolutely sure, Chanyeol? Because even if you refuse, we can always work out other solutions.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Chanyeol said resolutely. “You gods might call it human irrationality but being with you forever doesn’t seem too bad to me. I’m pretty sure whatever life I have with you afterwards as a spirit would be much better than the life I had here.”

Once again, Kyungsoo couldn’t help but wonder about what suffering Chanyeol possibly had to go through.

“But…..if Kyungsoo-sama doesn’t mind, I have a request,” suddenly Chanyeol sounded hesitant all over again. “After I do die, see….seeing that I _am_ going to, can you make me your shinki?”

“You want me to?” Kyungsoo tensed a little. “I don’t mind but being a shinki would mean losing all your memories from your living days.”

“I want to serve you in the best way possible,” Chanyeol said humbly. “Loving a god might be seen as a taboo and that’s why I want to make sure that my love for you is shown through my service to you as a shinki.”

“If that is what you wish then I can’t deny it,” Kyungsoo nodded and then straightened his back. “Now, Park Chanyeol, will you give your soul to me?”

“Yes,” Chanyeol answered, simple and resigned.

“Your acceptance and sincerity allows me to consume a fraction of your soul that is to spread the message to every divine being in the heaven and every filthy creature in the Underworld, that you are mine,” Kyungsoo leaned forward as he spoke. “Close your eyes.”

Chanyeol obeyed without question and Kyungsoo took a moment to admire him. Soft eyelashes swept over his cheeks and his black, slightly wavy strands of hair seeming nearly velvety. He really was beautiful. Kyungsoo laid a hand on his right shoulder.

“If a human falling in love with a god is a sin as you say,” he murmured softly, drawing closer to Chanyeol. “Then what does it make a god falling in love with a human?”

The last thing Kyungsoo saw was Chanyeol’s eyelids give a startled flutter before he was closing his own eyes. His hand on the shoulder slid upward to press firmly behind Chanyeol’s neck and then Kyungsoo was pressing his lips to the other’s lips, hard. Chanyeol gasped in his shock and Kyungsoo took the chance to slot their lips more firmly, forcing the other’s mouth further open. Their tongues slid against each other briefly before Kyungsoo began channeling his spiritual powers and started drawing out Chanyeol’s soul until a bit of it was in his own mouth. Once it reached to the amount he wanted, he bit down on it, severing that bit of the soul permanently and into himself.

Chanyeol separated, panting and wide-eyed. “K….Kyungsoo-sama, what….”

“The contract is done,” Kyungsoo said, absently caressing the other’s cheek and watching his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. He leaned forward once again and captured Chanyeol’s lips in a kiss, soft and lingering. “You belong to me now.”

“I….is this a part of the contract process too?” Chanyeol’s voice was wobbly and cracking.

“It’s not,” Kyungsoo pulled away and smiled gently at him. “I kissed because I wanted to. You’re not the only one in love, Chanyeol.”

Unshed tears making his eyes look more sparkly than usual, Chanyeol’s lips rose up in a familiar warm and genuine smile. “Then…..can I kiss you too?”

“Yes,” Kyungsoo answered and when Chanyeol moved forward to hold his face and join their lips in a happy gentleness, he made no hesitations of wrapping his own arms around the other to pull themselves in a tight embrace.

As they exchanged kisses filled with love and warmth, Kyungsoo felt his heart weighted by the sweetest of euphoria yet also a heavy melancholy. This would probably be the first and last time he would get to kiss Chanyeol like this, despite having an entire eternity together to spend. But for now, he couldn’t let himself worry. Fate had brought Chanyeol to him, and Kyungsoo made sure that Fate kept Chanyeol bound fast to him.

~.~

The darkness had set once Kyungsoo found himself landing softly and sure-footedly outside a huge building shrouded in darkness. The streetlights around lit up the way, buzzing with a low hum and apart from that there wasn’t a single disturbance. A lone car or two passed by now and then but other than that there was no form of life around.

It hadn’t even been a proper five days. Yet Kyungsoo found himself standing outside the place his beloved worshipper had breathed his last.

Heaving a bone-weary sigh, the god walked slowly but surely into the hospital building. He was obviously in grief. More than anything, he had wished Chanyeol would be able to live a long, healthy and happy life. More than anything, he had wanted the boy to be able to fulfill all his dreams and be successful. But Fate was often harsh. Nevertheless, he had a promise to fulfill.

Walking under the directions that the shard of soul he had within him pointed out, Kyungsoo soon found himself standing outside a particular door to a room. It seemed like the door had had a name tag which was recently taken off. Not allowing himself to hesitate for longer, Kyungsoo slid open the door and entered.

The room was empty, machines silent and the stark white clothes on the bed neatly folded up. Yet there was a presence there that wouldn’t be visible to mortal eyes but shone bright and pure just as Kyungsoo had expected it to. It had been waiting for him, patient and loyal.

Kyungsoo held out his two fingers towards the pure white form that looked like a large sized snowflake and began drawing out incantations for the shinki binding contract.

“You who have nowhere to go and nowhere to return, I shall grant you a place to belong,” Kyungsoo muttered. “My name is Kyungsoo. Bearing a posthumous name you shall remain here and with this name I make you my servant. With this name, and its alternate I use my life to make you a Divine Instrument.”

As Kyungsoo etched out the name he bestowed Chanyeol as his shinki, the boy’s memories from when he had been alive started flooding into him. Suddenly in the blink of an eye, Kyungsoo knew the whole of Chanyeol’s life. A rich but drunkard and absent father. A struggling mother raising Chanyeol and his sister alone. Eventual split. Chanyeol’s mother falling sick when he was in college first year. Chanyeol dropping out to begin working in the family restaurant to earn for his mother’s treatment. Eventual death of his mother. Sudden death of his former school girlfriend. Then followed some of his happier memories with his close friends and then Kyungsoo. And finally ending at his own death by being run over, coincidentally by the drunken driving of his own father. Kyungsoo felt tears stinging the corner of his eyes. Chanyeol had really lived an unfortunate life. It was all the more of a wonder how he’d managed to keep himself so bright and pure despite everything else.

“Your name shall be Akeru that stands for brightness. As a Divine Instrument you are Min,” Kyungsoo finished the final steps and then held out his arms. “Come to me, Minki.”

The room was filled with the brightest light for a few seconds as the incantations were over and once the brightness dimmed Kyungsoo was left holding an instrument in his hands. He blinked, realizing the unusualness of the shinki. Resting on his palms was the moderately heavy, lacquered wooden, twelve silk stringed gayageum zither. Kyungsoo smiled. It suited Chanyeol and his vibrant soul.

Before the boy had died, Kyungsoo had once asked him if he was really okay being reborn as a shinki and forgetting every memory they had shared. He asked Chanyeol if he was okay forgetting that he had loved someone. Chanyeol had smiled and given a simple short answer.

 _“It’s okay because while memories are forgotten, feelings never will be. I will never forget my love for you.”_

“Chanyeol-ah,” he said fondly as he ran a gentle hand over the polished wood and strings of the gayageum. “We can be together forever now.”

**_Fin_ **

**Author's Note:**

> some things if you guys want explanations:  
> 1\. chanyeol doesn't pray for ddori's return because of his family situation and he probably thinks the ferret wouldn't want to return to such a household  
> 2\. when gods aren't doing duties in the living world they stay in takamagahara. kyungsoo is the only one who doesn't stay coz he dislikes being around all the conservative gods.  
> 3\. a shinki has two names. one is the name of his/her human form and the other is of his/her weapon form. cy's human shinki name is Akeru (明) which kanji stands for "brightness" and weapon name is Min. it's the same kanji, except different reading which i have no patience to explain lol. also all shinki have a clan prefix after their name. cy's is predictably Do (土) the kanji stands for "earth". so cy's full human form name will be Akerudo. his full weapon name is Minki as it takes the end prefix from "shinki". the kanji (器) of ki means "vessel".  
> 4\. i'd initially thought of making cy's weapon form a Koto zither but it's way too melancholy to suit cy's personality lol. that's why i chose the gayageum which has a more cheerful sound. you can check out youtube videos.  
> 5\. Bisha and Kazuma are my favorite characters from Noragami and i can't NOT add them!  
> 6\. Also i feel actually bad turning Izanami into the bad guy coz she isn't actually bad according to mythology. not her fault that her husband was a jerk and trapped her in the underworld.
> 
> Aaaand that's pretty much it. I'm sorry for boring you with all my ramblings and i REALLY hope the story turned out fine coz I'm very skeptical about how it turned out. in any case, i hope i could at least please the prompter! thank you for reading! ily! gimme kudos and comments if you liked the story!


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